Question: What is the behind-the-scenes process when a network printer is installed?
Quick background: I work for an MSP providing Tier I support to Ricoh printers at a large healthcare facility. The enterprise has not moved to Universal Print - yet. I want to better understand the end-to-end process as it is now as I'm sure it will help me when the client begins to adopt Universal Printing. We have a mix of Windows 10 and 11 computers. They still use a print server and I recently had most of the Ricoh printers on it updated so they are associated with the PCL6 V4 Universal Print Driver from Ricoh. There are still a few left with either model specific V3 PCL drivers or the PCL6 Universal Print Driver (which is V3, too). However, the only V4 drivers on the computers are those built into the OS - Point and Print or Enhanced Point and Print from Microsoft. Users aren't allowed to install print drivers from Windows Update. Here's what I think is the process behind-the-scenes: User navigates to Printers & Scanners and clicks Add Printer. User selects the printer and it's installed. The print driver for that printer is associated by the OS searching in C:\Windows\System32\DriverStore\FileRepository for a folder (either oem..... or prnms.......) that is the most compatible. Hopefully its a driver from Ricoh (in my case) but it may be the Microsoft Point and Print driver. When the user attempts their first print with the new printer, some of the contents of the folder above (DLL files primarily) are moved or copied [I'm unsure which] to C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\x64\3. I think this is how it works for both V3 and V4 print drivers but would like clarification. I'm aware that the INF file is copied to C:\Windows\INF, and that CAB files for at least some of the installed printers are located in C:\Windows\System32\spool\drivers\x64\PCC. I don't understand the purpose for either of these. As for the process as I described it above, I'd appreciate any and all feedback so that I can better understand the process.